haunting

*Click on the banner above to find out more information about this tour and this new release*

SYNOPSIS

Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.

Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother’s ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it’s something more…

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose–can they conquer their demons together?

“McGarry ably captures the feeling of desperately wanting to come home to a friendship that has radically changed. The novel manages to tackle domestic violence in a way that never feels clichéd, and the romance is sure to win over even the most cynical reader. This is a story you’ll want to read slowly, just to be able to stay with the characters for a moment longer.” ―Booklist

“Powerful, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. An unforgettable story that will leave its mark on your heart.” ―C. J. Redwine, New York Times bestselling author

“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.” ―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series

“Meticulously weaves a fragile love story through a minefield of loss, broken trust, and familial curses both real and imagined. Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful.” ―Tammara Webber, New York Times bestselling author

“A painful, beautiful, and utterly magical story about the family you’re born into versus the family you choose.” ―Trish Doller, author of In a Perfect World

“A touching tale of love and fate straight from the heartland.” ―Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species

“Scarlett and Jesse’s story will stay in your heart long after you finish the book.” ―Simone Elkeles, New York Timesbestselling author

“Southern Gothic at its finest, this is Katie McGarry’s best book to date!” ―Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan and Breathe, Annie, Breathe

My Review:

“The only time I live is when I’m with you.”

I’m no stranger when it comes to ghosts or the paranormal. I’ve had my fair share of occurrences with ghostly beings and it’s quite the picnic when they come around. Recently, I had a ghost follow a friend and me as we were walking and it started to whistle. But when we turned around, no one was there. These occurrences happen quite often and they never get easier to deal with. But do you believe? Veronica is a believer and she may change your mind.

Veronica sees and feels the presence of ghosts but the one that gets her attention the most is the one of her Mother. Her mother passed away from something that Veronica is going through now but won’t tell her Dad just how bad it’s getting. She has a brain tumor that causes her to have black-out migraines that can debilitate her for days on end. She should go to the Doctor to let them know that her condition is worsening but she’s made peace with death.

With her Father being on the road a lot, that leaves her alone most of the time. That’s okay with Veronica since she likes to be by herself most days but things change when Sawyer and his family move in downstairs. His Mom and sister move in downstairs because the house that is being built for them isn’t ready yet but their mother is keeping a big dark secret from him.

Sawyer is drawn to Veronica after they team up for a group project at school. Spending more and more time with each other seems to bring out the best in both of them. But they both carry around burdens that they hide from one another.

Can someone who thinks that they have nothing to live for, find something in the boy with the daredevil heart? Or will their demons capture them both?

McGarry did something so monumental here that other authors should pay close attention to. She combined ghostly beings, romance, and medical issues into this phenomenal book without sugarcoating anything or leaving anything out. She knows how to lay out all the information in a great way to keep you interested.

Echoes Between Us was a fantastic read. It is definitely one of those books that tugs at all of your heartstrings and won’t let go. Every single detail of this book was perfect and it captivated me instantly. I’ve never read anything like this before and I’m honored to say that I have.

Giveaway:

—Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

– 4 Winners will receive a Copy of ECHOES BETWEEN US by Katie McGarry.

– 1 Winner will receive ECHOES BETWEEN US Storytellers BOX.

Click on the image below to enter. Good Luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week is a very exciting week for books and I can’t wait to start all of these.

What are you reading this week?

Ziggy, Stardust and Me- James Brandon

The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely “normal” and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal—at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay.

Jonathan doesn’t want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be “fixed” once and for all. But he’s drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he’s perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.

A poignant coming-of-age tale, Ziggy, Stardust and Me heralds the arrival of a stunning and important new voice in YA.

Tunnel of Bones- Victoria Schwab

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass’s parents are filming their TV show about the world’s most haunted cities. Sure, it’s fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there’s true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she’s unleashed could haunt the city forever.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Schwab returns to the spooky and heart-pounding world of City of Ghosts, delivering thrilling new adventures and an unforgettable spin on friendship. (Because sometimes, even psychic ghost best friends have secrets. . .)

Slay- Brittney Morris

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

You Deserve Each Other- Sarah Hogle

For fans of The Hating Game, a debut lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about two unhappily engaged people each trying to force the other to end the relationship–and falling back in love in the process.

Naomi Westfield has an Instagram-perfect life, including the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family every bride dreams of being a part of. They never fight, complain, or disagree. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And they are miserably and utterly sick of each other.

Tired of contorting herself to fit the ridiculous standards demanded by Nicholas’s family, Naomi wants out of the relationship. But there’s a catch: Whoever calls off the engagement will have to foot the enormous bill for the wedding. When Naomi finds out that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of wills to see who can annoy the other into surrendering through pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves. They’re having so much fun getting on each other’s nerves that it starts to feel like something else entirely. As Naomi discovers hidden feelings for Nicholas buried under three years of simmering resentment, she wonders if he feels the same way. Suddenly, the countdown to the wedding that may or may not come to pass feels more like a race to mutual destruction–and Naomi doesn’t want to be left alone at the finish line.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s topic is: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019

It was really difficult to narrow this list down to ten but I accomplished that but I feel awful that I left a lot off this list.

This week I’m going to be reading some books that I received in the mail and then one I stumbled upon while on Goodreads.

What are you reading this week?

The Evil Queen- Gena Showalter

Classic fairy tales are turned on their heads as strong heroines take charge and save the princes and the world in this magical action and romance-filled trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Everlife novels and the White Rabbit Chronicles, beginning with a teen prophesied to become the Evil Queen from Snow White who refuses to be pigenonholed into her destiny.

Far, far away, in the magical realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm, and fairytales are real. Except, fairytales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future. Though Princess Everly Morrow was brought to the mortal realm as an infant, she knows she’s destined to rule a kingdom in Enchantia, thus fulfilling a beloved fairytale. But which one?

At seventeen, when an ability to commune with mirrors manifests, she begins to suspect the truth, and it’s more sinister than anyone ever realized…

She is destined to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.

With powers beyond her imagination or control—and determined to prove herself good—Everly returns to the land of her birth, smack dab in the middle of the creepiest forest of all time. There, Everly meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. As bits and pieces of the prophecy unfold, Everly faces one betrayal after the other, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Soon, she will have to choose. Be a hero and walk away, or become the queen—and villain—of her dreams.

The battle between good and evil is on!

Ask Me Anything- Molly E. Lee

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kickass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral overnight. Who knew this school was so hard up.

Now the school administration is on a war path to shut me down, and they have Dean—my coding crush—hot on my trail. If he discovers my secret, I could lose his trust forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right.

Lark- Tracey Porter

When sixteen-year-old Lark Austin is kidnapped from her Virginia hometown and left to die in a snowy forest, she leaves behind two friends who are stunned by the loss. As Lark’s former best friend, Eve can’t shake the guilt that this tragedy was somehow her fault. Meanwhile, Nyetta is haunted each night by Lark’s ghost, who comes through the bedroom window and begs Nyetta to set her soul free. Eve and Nyetta realize that Lark is trapped in limbo, and only by coming together to heal themselves will they discover why.

Tracey Porter’s stunning narrative about love and loss demonstrates that forgiveness can never come too late.

“Beneath the Lighthouse grabs you by the nether regions from the word go. Then it squeezes. Hard. With a nailed glove … A truly scary ghost story … a powerful ‘coming of age’ drama … a young man growing into adulthood against a backdrop of despair and quite shocking abuse … unpredictable and ever building. Blood and bone revenge, retribution and salvation. The strength of friendship, the power of love. You feel the dread and the underlying fear … not your typical tale. And what a tale it is.” ―EM Faustus

My Review:

“From within the mirror, flesh swam toward him, crawling out of the glass. Her clammy fingers reached for him. Black veins traced over her skin. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Dark matter dropped from her swollen lips. Her unblinking eyes stared hard into his. She moved closer to him, her dislocated jaw and broken teeth in full view. Without warning, a piercing screech erupted from her mouth and she charged toward him.”

Beneath the Lighthouse was one of those books where I thought I had it all figured out within the first fifty pages. As things progressed, I became shocked as the twist and turns revealed themselves. I was so wrong and I couldn’t be happier. This book was magnificent.

Jamie has quite a rough life. His sister passed away under mysterious circumstances, his Dad is a pisser who can’t control his hands, and he thinks he’s going mad.

Hanging out on the coast where his sister’s body was found, he spots an aspiration and she follows him. She lets her presence be known. She shows him eerie things to open up his eyes to who some people really are and to help set her spirit free.

As things start to spiral out of control, will Jamie be able to help his Mum overcome an abusive relationship and save a ghost to set her free?

This was so much more than a possession book. It was spooky but had a lot of heartbreaking moments but also a little sunshine throughout. It had so many unexpected scenes that I couldn’t stop reading this.

Beneath the Lighthouse is an eerie mystery that will keep you guessing up until the very end. A definite read on a cold and gloomy night. Just look over your shoulder when you feel that sudden coldness…..

Giveaway!!!

Click on the link below to be entered to win!

– 1 Winner will receive a Copy of BENEATH THE LIGHTHOUSE by Julieanne Lynch.

– Winner will receive a $25 Dollar PayPal/Amazon Gift Card.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JulieanneLynch is an author of YA and Adult genre urban fantasy, crime and contemporary romance books. Julieanne was born in Northern Ireland, but spent much of her early life in London, United Kingdom, until her family relocated back to their roots.

Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, with her husband and five children, where she is a full-time author. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University and considered journalism as a career path. Julieanne has several projects optioned for film.

In Robin York’s sizzling debut, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

My Review:

“I pack his words around my heart, knowing I shouldn’t because they’re not the right words. It’s dangerous to want West so much that I’ll take any crumb he gives me- any profane, broken piece of him- and turn it into a love letter.”

Why are the forbidden things the things we desire the most?

This was a beautiful and tender read. West and Caroline will make an impact on your life and make you want to fight for the life you want and deserve.

The deep chemistry between West and Caroline is perfect. Like they really belong together. West is swoon-worthy and we all need to be swept off our feet by someone as supportive as him. I mean, he defends your honor, can bake, and makes you melt. What more can anyone ask for?

Deeper takes you into a world of betrayal, acceptance and finally trust. The swoony moments take your mind off of the real monster lurking between these pages. But when the monster rears its ugly head, you can’t put it down.

I really loved this book and desperately need book two. The way it ends will break your heart and we can only hope for the best in the next.